1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article of ammunition which is controllable during its final flight phase, which is equipped in its cross-sectional plane through the center of gravity with a radially oriented impulse system which is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of the article of ammunition; and which is activatable through a control circuit located on board of the ammunition article, upon the detection of a target object which is located on the opposite side relative to the instantaneous orientation of the impulse system through the intermediary of a sensor device. The invention further relates to a method for navigating an article of ammunition which is controllable during its final flight phase towards the target object.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
An article of ammunition of that type is known from the disclosure of German Pat. No. 15 78 139 in the form of an artillery projectile which has a correctable flight trajectory. However, the invention is, in particular, directed to a (not necessarily projectile-shaped, but also cylindrical) subordinate ammunition article; of which a plurality of such articles are transported over a target area by a carrier and are then expelled therefrom so as to descend, in a more or less defined spatial orientation, while searching the target area for target objects which are to be attacked by means of sensor devices which are arranged in the articles of ammunition, in a direction towards the plane of movement of the target objects, and to then detonate the combat charge at a suitable distance from a detected target object. Such cylindrical subordinate ammunition articles, with consideration being also given to different types of possible implementations concerning their position-finding sensor devices, combat charges and kinematic behavior, are presently well known in this technology, such as, for instance, from the disclosures of U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,770 and British Pat. No. 1.444,029, and need not be described in detail herein.
The greatest degree of penetrating effectiveness against heavily-armored target objects is evidenced by articles of ammunition with combat charges which at a close approach to the target object, will deform a pointedly-conical insert into a highly energetic stream of particles.
However, problems are encountered in that the target tracking-follow up controls which must be implemented in the articles of ammunition (for a close target approach) necessitate a high energetic as well as apparative demand; such that, presently the constructive demand for the steering to the target is especially high when the article of ammunition does not relate to a body which has an aerodynamic flow-enhancing configuration with steering guidance surfaces according to the type of an artillery projectile which can be steered during its final flight phase, but relates to the more inexpensive and lesser demanding cylindrical configuration of the subordinate ammunition articles.
In a projectile with a correctable trajectory pursuant to the above-mentioned published class of projectiles, there is incorporated in the cross-sectional plane of the center of gravity of the projectile, a radially oriented firing tube for an auxiliary projectile (fireable by means of at least one auxiliary charge). Due to this firing reaction, a lateral acceleration is temporarily superimposed upon a constant longitudinal velocity of the projectile, in order to displace or shift the (up to now ballistic) trajectory for tracking of the target. For this purpose, it is necessary that during the entire length of the flight up to the target object, the projectile actually maintains a constant longitudinal velocity. Herein, the sensor device should detect the appearance of the target object under a fixedly pregiven deviation angle; and correlated therewith should be the resultant changed trajectory, which is fixedly pregiven through the vectorial superposition of the crosswise or lateral acceleration. A discontinuous correcting of the trajectory of that type imparted to a momentary target tracking course; however, as can be ascertained, can only lead to a strike against a target object which is implementing maneuverings on its part when, at least at a closer target approach, there again becomes effective a continuously operating follow-up tracking system; however, standing in opposition thereto is that upon a close approach to the target, in actual practice, the sensor device become ineffective; in effect, is overcontrolled.